The present disclosure relates to a coin storage device.
In the related art, a coin storage device has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2017-72948. The coin storage device disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2017-72948 includes storage compartments and screw-type conveying members.
The storage compartments are sections where the coins are stored by denomination. Each of the screw-type conveying members is installed correspondingly in the storage compartment, and includes a first screw element and a second screw element.
The first screw element includes a columnar first shaft portion the outer circumferential surface of which is provided with a first blade portion protruding radially outwards in a spiraling shape, and conveys coins to the front side by being rotated about the central axis of the first shaft portion.
The second screw element includes a columnar second shaft portion the outer circumferential surface of which is provided with a second blade portion protruding radially outwards in a spiraling shape, and conveys coins to the front side by being rotated about the central axis of the second shaft portion. The rear end of the second screw element is linked to the front end of the first screw element via a linking unit.
In such a coin storage device, each pitch formed by the second blade portion provided to the second screw element stores therein one coin having been conveyed by the first screw element, and, when a dispensing instruction is given, the second screw element is rotated, and dispenses the stored coin.
In the coin storage device described above, most of the coins stored in the storage compartment are accumulated on the screw-type conveying members (the first screw element). Therefore, if some of the coins are stored in an upright direction along one of the side walls of the storage compartment, a phenomenon, what may be called “bridging”, may occur, in which the coins are accumulated so as to be bridged between the one side wall and the other side wall.
Once such bridging occurs, the blade portion (first blade portion) of the screw-type conveying member may be prevented from being brought into contact with the coins, even if the screw-type conveying member is rotated about the central axis of the shaft, and may cause the coins to jam in the storage compartment, and result in a failure to dispense the coins stored in the storage compartment.